After more than a year of bi-weekly recycling pick-up in Columbia, the city will resume a once-a-week schedule beginning Monday, June 15.
However, the city's recycling program has still not returned to normal after the EF-1 tornado that destroyed Columbia’s recycling facility last April.
City spokesperson Jason West said the city is still working to rebuild, and they are currently reviewing bids for a new and updated facility.
“While the outer shell is going to look very much like what we had before the tornado hit and was destroyed, the new building will be expandable on one side or the other to accommodate new equipment and new efficiencies as they come available,” West said.
One byproduct of the facility's destruction was a limitation on what could be recycled. While residents have been able to recycle cardboard, plastic and metal — glass has remained an issue.
West shared that the city is working to find a solution to the issue and are considering measures, such as partnering with an outside glass recycling provider or improving sorting capabilities at the new facility.
In the meantime, he asked for residents’ patience and reminded them to not place glass inside blue recycling bags.
“If glass is put in the blue bag, then it's a contaminant, and everything else that is in that blue bag is now trash and not recyclable,” West said.
The city is hosting a recycling drop off Saturday, June 13 from 8:00 a.m. to noon at the Grissom Building located at 113 Lakeview Ave. Residents can drop off all recyclable materials during the event— including glass.
